Movies, said film critic Roger Ebert, are like an "empathy machine." Their mission: to help us understand a bit more about others' hopes, their fears, their dreams. Movies allow us to walk in others' shoes. They help us "identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us."

Something extraordinary has happened in the last few days in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Young men and women, from all walks of life, are occupying a major square. Like the young people in Tahrir Square, they are part of a global movement for winning and deepening democracy.